New to the board and a non-techi

[Karlista]

I need a recommendation. I have read through the site but some of this I just don't understand. I just purchased a new 1 story condo, 1700 SF, single story, with interior walls made of metal studs covered with drywall. I need to install the calble modem and wireless router in a closet that is in the middle of the condo. I am concered about signal strenght and speed loss. Would you recommend the wrt610n, or the DIR-825?

Thanks and I applogize if this is a out of line question.

 

[venture996]

It depends

The answer will depend on what equipment you are supporting, but I'm willing to venture an answer based on the assumption that it is nothing exotic. The DLink DIR-655 is a very safe bet. Excellent performance, stable, and under $100. It was recommended to me on this board and I've been thrilled with it. Good luck.

 

[thiggins]

Not an inappropriate question at all.

Both of your choices are dual-band. Is that because you have a lot of 2.4 GHz networks in range and are getting a lot of interference?

What do you want to run wirelessly?

Did you read this article?
How To Choose the Right Wireless LAN for You

 

[Karlista]

Thanks for the responses. This is a new condo and nothing has been installed as yet. I may want to expand beyond just internet and e mail using laptops to streaming in movies to a new LCD TV and sound system. Thought going dual band would be a good thing since I am in a condo complex with lots of routers running at the 2.4 GHz frequency. One of my concerns was the wrt610n has internal antennas and connot be upgraded. With the Dir-655 and DIR-825, the antennas are external and can be upgraded if needed. I just don't have enough experience to know which way to go. Also, my wife's work laptop is an older Dell without wireless capability. What is the device called that her laptop can plug into via the RJ-45 connector on the latop that will pick up the wireless network? I would also like this to be wireless n. Not sure if Linksys and D-Link have such a device.

Thanks,

 

[Karlista]

Yes I did read the article.

Thanks

 

[thiggins]

Thanks for the info on your setup.

There is no dual-band router that has good performance over the same range in 5 GHz as in 2.4 GHz. What you have going for you, however, is the single-floor layout, relatively small area and central location for your router.

Both the WRT610N and DIR-825 have open-air test results in the Wireless Charts. For 5GHz streaming you want to look at the downlink tests, which I have inserted below.

The DIR-825 has a slight edge with 20MHz channel bandwidth mode, since it operated in Location D where the 610N did not. But the 610n has the edge with 40MHz channel mode, with higher throughput. In the 5 GHz band you should be able to operate with a 40MHz channel bandwidth without risking interference with other networks.

As far as upgrading antennas, you would need to use dual-band antennas, which are difficult to find, particularly in higher-gain versions.

For your wife's notebook, if you want to connect via the Ethernet port, you need a wireless bridge (sometimes called gaming adapter). Dual-band products are D-Link DAP-1522 and Linksys WGA600N.
However, you can also use USB client adapters like the Linksys WUSB600N, D-Link DWA-160 or NETGEAR WNDA3100.

 

[Karlista]

Thanks for the reposne. It seems that going with the DIR-655 is a simplier solution, provides better range, more flexibility with other hardware currently on the market, upgradeable antennas, etc. The only downside is giving up dual band capability. Is that a big deal?

 

[thiggins]

Thanks for the reposne. It seems that going with the DIR-655 is a simplier solution, provides better range, more flexibility with other hardware currently on the market, upgradeable antennas, etc. The only downside is giving up dual band capability. Is that a big deal?

It is if interference from your 2.4GHz neighbors prevents reliable operation or knocks down your throughput.

 

[Karlista]

2.4 GHz frequency may be an issue. I just don't know yet. I bought the WRT 610N. I just hope the internal antennas provide the range I need. It would seem the external antenna woul provide better range. Not sure why Linksys changed their design and went with internal antennas. They also currently do not have a wirelessn dual band repeater that I know of. If it doesn't work, it goes back to best buy.

 

[thiggins]

My testing shows little difference between internal and external antennas.

 

[Karlista]

Thank you very much for the info and help. This is a great and informative forum.

 

[woodscomp]

2.4 GHz frequency may be an issue. I just don't know yet. I bought the WRT 610N. I just hope the internal antennas provide the range I need. It would seem the external antenna woul provide better range. Not sure why Linksys changed their design and went with internal antennas. They also currently do not have a wirelessn dual band repeater that I know of. If it doesn't work, it goes back to best buy.

But they do have a dual band wireless bridge. The wet610n.

I do not think you will be dissapointed with the wrt610n. I think the beauty of the true dual band is to be able to run a mixed mode network at full speeds. More so than worrying about what your neighbors might be running and trying to not have too many 2.4ghz devices in play.

For instance I was able to divide my network up using a wrt610n and have my three n devices run off the 5ghz channels (they are dual band n as well) and let the rest of my G devices run off the 2.4ghz band. Everything is running at full speed. And in the end I saved money vs. buying new adapters for all my clients. The kids don't need N, neither do there game systems, so that is four devices that I did not have to upgrade. If I had chosen a 2.4ghz n router, everytime someone turned on a G device my whole wireless network slows down.

 

[Karlista]

It works great

I installed and set up the router this weekend in the new condo. Works great. Getting consistent 130-150 speed from the 2.4MHz frequency. Setup was easy and fast. Downloaded the firmware upgrade with no issues. Range is very good. Signal strength on 2.4GHz very strong. I did notice the signal strength for the 5 GHZ frequency is not as strong as the 2.4 GHz.

Thank you very much for everyone's help.

 

[FHSPSU67]

Wow, I'm impressed with this site!
I just joined up and Karlista's post matched my needs entirely except that I have wooden studs which, I think, should be even better for 5 GHZ range. I plan on following Woodscomp's methods, which I had planned on anyway, but it's always nice to have the assurances.
I will buy the WRT610N from Amazon.
Thanks to all